Malevolence
(Anchor Bay Region 0 NTSC DVD)
(2004)
review by Don't Feed the Dead

A while back I was priveledged enough to have a lengthy conversation with Writer/ Director/ Producer of Malevolence, Stevan Mena. One of the topics discussed was the audience reaction to the film during its initial showings in North Carolina and the mixed reviews the film was receiving. Mena replied that the film was a "homage to 1970's horror" and that it was made for "hardcore fans" of the genre. After viewing Malevolence in its entirety (courtesy of the folks at Anchor Bay) I realize exactly what Mena meant by "hardcore fans" and why some viewers were also very skeptical of the film. In all honesty, Malevolence is not a horror movie for all audiences, rather for a specific crowd who still love to indulge in the old school tense slashers of the Hooper/ Carpenter era.

Malevolence begins with a bit of a backdrop as the audience is taken back to the 70's, where a young boy named Martin Bristol is abducted and forced to watch a madman torture and slaughter a female victim. Obedient and focused on the man's determination during the killing, Martin is now set to become the protagonist for the film's time jump forward to 1999. Now relocated to the serene settings of a cemetery, a pair of shady men plan a bank heist with the "meet up" area set for an abandoned house at the outskirts of town. In addition to the two criminals, a pair of lovers are brought along as accomplices to the crime. The reluctance of one felon, Julian, ends up spoiling the outcome of the bank robbery as the ringleader is shot and killed by a guard, causing the group to split in a frenzy.

In a state of panic, one of the bank robbers takes a mother and daughter hostage and heads out to the meeting area. The two lovers also make headway to the abandoned house, but are forced to take a detour to dump the body of their fallen comrade. As the separate groups find their way to the house in the middle of no where, they soon find out that the police aren't the only ones hunting them down. These unfortunate criminals have stumbled into the hunting grounds of a now matured Martin Bristol who has every intention of carrying out the same crimes he was forced to witness as a young child.

Relying heavily on incredible cinematography and set selection, Malevolence steadily builds tension throughout the film by utilizing its surroundings. Evidence of heavy Carpenter and Hooper influences are at some points too obvious, but in an era where CG usually dominates the audience's visual intake it's refreshing to see Mena rely on a more naturalistic approach to unnerving the viewer. The scares and gore, although few and far between are indeed effective and linger with the viewer throughout the film's entirety. Malevolence is creepy, tense and wants to scare the viewer. Unlike the drove of horror films that have hit theaters recently, this film does NOT want to make the audience laugh, nor does it attempt to break the tension with cheap one liners or unnecessary nudity.

However, with the good comes the bad, and since Malevolence was primarily and independent film, it had plenty of shortcomings. For starters, the editing of the film was very amateurish and seemed off-beat at times. Lingering in the background at every chance he got was the killer, Martin, which detracted a bit from the fear factor. Budgetary restrictions also meant a low-grade cast and there were a few performances in the film that I could have done without. Luckily for me, the annoyances were eliminated relatively early on and the solid acting jobs by Brandon Johnson and Samantha Dark were able to shine through.

Fun fact - Malevolence is the first "official" theatrical horror release for Anchor Bay. With its full force behind the picture, the folks at AB spared no expense with the presentation of the DVD putting it out in a very attractive Divimax (HD transfer) quality. The disc is also loaded to the brim with extras including a making of featurette, commentary with Stevan Mena and Brandon Johnson, Rehearsal footage, Deleted Scenes, Original Trailers and Radio Spots, a still gallery and a DVD ROM feature of the original screenplay. That is a lot of material to cover and it makes for a steal at $15 - $20!

Before heading out all giddy to buy Malevolence, heed my advice and ask yourself a few questions:

- Was the American remake of the Grudge considered your favorite horror film in the last 3 years?

- Did you think the original Halloween needed more blood and gore?

- Did you find the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre to be dull or boring?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these queries, then perhaps Malevolence is not the right horror film for you. Conversely, if you laughed at those 3 simple sentences then this flick is right up your alley. Malevolence is intended for the old school horror fans and Stevan Mena does not disappoint in the delivery.